Worries of Kin
by renegadewriter8
Summary: Bofur worries over his cousin Bifur. At Bag End he reflects on how Bifur got his injury and if it is wise for him to be on this quest. Based on a scene from the movie.


I noticed when Balin was speaking with Thorin at Bag End, that in the background Bifur is sitting kind of statue like and Bombur comes and offers him a plate with food, but apparently, Bifur does not react. Watching the Behind the Scenes of the Hobbit, William Kircher (actor who plays Bifur) explains that he researched what the kind of wound Bifur had would cause and found out that such injuries could affect the way one talks or thinks, and even zone out so that is how William played Bifur. I wanted to write a small drabble on that.

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Bofur watched his brother and cousin as they interacted. Bifur had been animated that evening, happy at seeing them, he supposed. Of course, he was also excited about Thorin having brought them all together for the quest of Erebor. Bifur had been born and raised in the Lonely Mountain, so the thought of helping reclaim their home had made him livelier than Bofur had ever seen him. However, as the night wore on, the miner noticed the old haunted look retuning to his cousin's eyes.

His injury was afflicting him. His poor cousin had been dealt an almost fatal blow to the head when fighting orcs. The axe that was embedded in his head miraculously hadn't killed him, but would prove his end if removed. While his cousin could continue a highly-functional lifestyle, the wound had its price. First and most noticeable was that he could no longer speak in anything other than in their ancient dwarvish tongue- Khuzdul. Among dwarves, this was not an issue, except when it came to the dwarflings, who were not yet old enough to learn the language Aulë had created for them. Problems arose when they went into the towns and cities of men in order to do business. Bifur would then need his cousins, usually Bofur, to be his interpreter, but even then Bifur rarely spoke Khuzdul in front of men, as it was not a language none-dwarves were allowed to hear.

But what many missed, and could not comprehend, were the other effects the wound brought with it. There were times where Bifur was left confused as to where he was, what he was doing, and what had happened. Sometimes he would think there still was such a thing as Erebor in all her glory. He would often call for his family only to be met with the silent and saddened eyes of his cousins. He would become scared when he realized he could not speak in anything but Khuzdul. Worse were the times when Bifur might even look at them without recognition. However, Bofur would welcome those moments, as much as it hurt, over the painful episodes his cousin had to go through. Splitting headaches, nausea, and even hallucinations, which proved to be terrifying. These spells would vary in intensity. Sometimes it was enough for Bifur to seek solitude and sleep it off, other times Bofur had to hold him down so as to not hurt himself or others as Bombur poured a sleeping brew down his throat. Bofur always prayed to Aulë that if Bifur had to go through an episode, it would be one where he fell into a state of stillness and retreated into himself. These moments Bifur would simply sit still, eyes open and staring at nothing. They tended to last a couple of minutes, but could go on for hours.

In truth, Bofur wasn't sure if Bifur should be on this quest. Even if Bifur was the head of their small family, Bofur was the one unofficially in charge and he worried about both his kin, now even more so about Bifur. He had talked about it with his cousin, but the ex-warrior now turned toymaker would hear none of it. Now, seeing his cousin falling back into a state of catatonia at Bag End Bofur felt he should have fought the issue harder. Bombur had seen his cousin retreat into himself and carefully approached him. Poor Bombur always hoped that his presence, soft encouraging words, and even a plate of good food would bring him out of his stupor. He always feared that one day Bifur would never come out of it. If he was honest with himself, Bofur had those same fears.

Bofur looked up from his pipe as Bombur approached him. His offering of food having been met with silence.

"He'll be fine." He said smiling at his brother. "Just give 'im a couple of minutes and he'll be up and running." Bofur promised through puffs of smoke.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" His brother asked, concern marring his face. The miner knew his brother was talking about the quest. Both of them worried. They weren't the greatest fighters, Balin hadn't needed to remind them of that, and they feared they would not be able to be of much help, except being there for their kin.

"Sure he will!" Bofur exclaimed confidently. "We've got some 'o the best warriors in the company, Thorin would never allow anything bad to happen to any 'o us. And he's got you and me. Nothing can go wrong." He smiled, desperately praying to Aulë not to turn him into a liar.

Bombur smiled, reassured by his brother's words. With a nod of acknowledgment, the cook turned in order to see if there was anything else in the hobbit's pantry he could eat. He had left a plate aside specially for Bifur.

Watching his brother go, Bofur's smile disappeared. He didn't know if what he said was the truth, but he would damn well fight to make it so.


End file.
